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| President Goodluck Jonathan |
The President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has said his
administration is committed to making Nigeria the best sporting nation in
Africa.
Jonathan, who spoke at the Presidential Retreat on sports development in the country on Monday, said it also remains his intention that Nigeria should be among the top four Commonwealth countries in the sports arena.
The President said the vision is achievable with hard work and dedication.
He said: “Make no mistake: Our commitment is to become the best sporting nation in Africa, be among the top four sporting nations in the Commonwealth and ultimately rule the world.
“This vision is not only realistic, it is also achievable with hard work, greater sense of purpose, and dedication.
“Without doubt, our sports industry has developed rapidly, with good prospects for sustained growth. We can only tap this latent potential through adequate investment and proper governance structure. Today, our financing channel for sports is singular, the investment channel is narrow, and the source is unsustainable.
“The medals table of the last few Olympics is a strong indicator that Sports is now a major tool for demonstrating economic and social strength by countries. Sports must therefore remain a major element of our vision for national rebirth. It must constitute a driving force and indicator of our progress towards becoming one of the leading 20 economies of the world by the year 2020.”
Jonathan said it had become glaring that to achieve success in the sporting arena, financing must be tackled.
He, however, said even the meagre resources available now must be properly managed, adding that he had set the machinery in motion to achieve adequate financing of the country’s sports.
He said: “If we must achieve excellence and meet the objective requirements for the rapid development of our sports industry, then we must broaden the financing base of the industry and create the right conditions for private sector funding and investment in sport.
“Adequate funding of sports is very crucial to this endeavour but efficient and transparent management of resources is key. This is why I have set up a committee under the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, to work out a strategy for sustainable management of funding of the sports sector.
“The Federal Government will continue to do all that is necessary to improve our sporting fortunes. I believe that the State Governments are also doing the same. The private sector should now do more by investing in the sector. If you do business in Nigeria, your number one brand identity is Nigeria.
“It is my hope that at the end of this retreat, we would have come out with a clear practical and measurable action plan that will pave the way for greater sporting glory for our dear country.”
Jonathan said the retreat must yield fruits quickly for the country to move forward as the results of the last Olympic Games was nothing to cheer.
He said: “Our gathering here today must lead to our coming up with workable solutions to the most critical issues underpinning sports development in our nation. One of the vital questions facing this retreat is: ‘why do some countries excel in sports and others do not?’ Providing answers to this question is an important responsibility we must all discharge.
“Whether we are going to turn the situation around or not, depends largely on what we collectively agree here as Federal; State; and Local Governments, as well as private businesses and as athletes and managers.”
Jonathan, who spoke at the Presidential Retreat on sports development in the country on Monday, said it also remains his intention that Nigeria should be among the top four Commonwealth countries in the sports arena.
The President said the vision is achievable with hard work and dedication.
He said: “Make no mistake: Our commitment is to become the best sporting nation in Africa, be among the top four sporting nations in the Commonwealth and ultimately rule the world.
“This vision is not only realistic, it is also achievable with hard work, greater sense of purpose, and dedication.
“Without doubt, our sports industry has developed rapidly, with good prospects for sustained growth. We can only tap this latent potential through adequate investment and proper governance structure. Today, our financing channel for sports is singular, the investment channel is narrow, and the source is unsustainable.
“The medals table of the last few Olympics is a strong indicator that Sports is now a major tool for demonstrating economic and social strength by countries. Sports must therefore remain a major element of our vision for national rebirth. It must constitute a driving force and indicator of our progress towards becoming one of the leading 20 economies of the world by the year 2020.”
Jonathan said it had become glaring that to achieve success in the sporting arena, financing must be tackled.
He, however, said even the meagre resources available now must be properly managed, adding that he had set the machinery in motion to achieve adequate financing of the country’s sports.
He said: “If we must achieve excellence and meet the objective requirements for the rapid development of our sports industry, then we must broaden the financing base of the industry and create the right conditions for private sector funding and investment in sport.
“Adequate funding of sports is very crucial to this endeavour but efficient and transparent management of resources is key. This is why I have set up a committee under the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, to work out a strategy for sustainable management of funding of the sports sector.
“The Federal Government will continue to do all that is necessary to improve our sporting fortunes. I believe that the State Governments are also doing the same. The private sector should now do more by investing in the sector. If you do business in Nigeria, your number one brand identity is Nigeria.
“It is my hope that at the end of this retreat, we would have come out with a clear practical and measurable action plan that will pave the way for greater sporting glory for our dear country.”
Jonathan said the retreat must yield fruits quickly for the country to move forward as the results of the last Olympic Games was nothing to cheer.
He said: “Our gathering here today must lead to our coming up with workable solutions to the most critical issues underpinning sports development in our nation. One of the vital questions facing this retreat is: ‘why do some countries excel in sports and others do not?’ Providing answers to this question is an important responsibility we must all discharge.
“Whether we are going to turn the situation around or not, depends largely on what we collectively agree here as Federal; State; and Local Governments, as well as private businesses and as athletes and managers.”
(Full text)
REMARKS
BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN, GCFR, AT THE PRESIDENTIAL
RETREAT OF THE SPORTS SECTOR, ABUJA, OCTOBER 22, 2012
PROTOCOLS
It is with great expectation that I welcome you to this retreat, designed to chart a new course for sports in our country. Our goal is to brainstorm and strategize on how we can reclaim our past sporting glory and restore happiness and dignity to our country in sporting events.
There is no gain saying that apart from its obvious benefits in bringing joy to our citizens, especially when our teams do well, no other sector of our national life has a greater force for mobilizing and uniting our people around a common purpose, than sports.
It is with great expectation that I welcome you to this retreat, designed to chart a new course for sports in our country. Our goal is to brainstorm and strategize on how we can reclaim our past sporting glory and restore happiness and dignity to our country in sporting events.
There is no gain saying that apart from its obvious benefits in bringing joy to our citizens, especially when our teams do well, no other sector of our national life has a greater force for mobilizing and uniting our people around a common purpose, than sports.
We would always
remember the 1996 Atlanta Olympics for good. We would always remember the
tears, the tears of joy Chioma Ajunwa brought to our eyes. She jumped above
every expectation to claim the gold medal in the women’s long jump event. She
gave us our first gold medal ever at the Olympics, displaying the never-say-die
Nigerian spirit, the spirit that can never be defeated no matter the situation
and circumstances. She brought smiles to our faces and filled our hearts with
joy.
The celebration was
yet to die down when the football team, led by Kanu Nwankwo, added an icing to
the cake by winning the gold medal. The Dream Team, as they were called, lived
up to the Nigerian dream, beating our old nemesis, Brazil, on the way to
beating another football powerhouse, Argentina, in the final of the football
event.
In a matter of days,
we had written our name in gold twice at a very difficult period of our
nationhood. Nigerians of all classes, religions and ethnic groups poured into
the streets in celebration, despite the political tension in the land. Such is
the joy that sports bring into the land.
No nation can afford
to overlook the relevance of sports to national development and national well-being.
As a powerful socio-economic tool for youth development, nation building and
instilling core values of social justice, sports remains at the heart of our
National Transformation Agenda.
This Retreat is timely, given the recent disappointing performance of Team Nigeria at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and our recent lows in football competitions among others. This unacceptable trend points to systemic failures that urgently call for a drastic and holistic review of our sport policies.
This Retreat is timely, given the recent disappointing performance of Team Nigeria at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and our recent lows in football competitions among others. This unacceptable trend points to systemic failures that urgently call for a drastic and holistic review of our sport policies.
Let me make this clear: We are not here to apportion blame or to point accusing fingers. We are not here to lament. We are here to find solutions and put in place a framework for achieving national sporting excellence.
Amidst the lows, we have also had successes with our Paralympians in the London Olympics as a tonic for our thirst for greater honour.
Distinguished ladies
and gentlemen, I requested that we bring together, to a retreat, major
stakeholders in the sporting industry, including State Governors, key officials
of this Administration, those who have participated in our sports development
over the years, members of the organized private sector, men and women of
experience as we embark on a major turning point in our sporting journey.
Our gathering here
today must lead to our coming up with workable solutions to the most critical
issues underpinning sports development in our nation. One of the vital
questions facing this retreat is: 'why do some countries excel in sports and
others do not?' Providing answers to this question is an important
responsibility we must all discharge.
Whether we are going
to turn the situation around or not, depends largely on what we collectively
agree here as Federal; State; and Local Governments, as well as private
businesses and as athletes and managers.
Make
no mistake: Our commitment is to become the best sporting
nation in Africa, be among the top 4 sporting nations in the Commonwealth and
ultimately rule the world. This vision is not only realistic, it is also
achievable with hard work, greater sense of purpose, and dedication.
Without doubt, our sports industry has developed rapidly, with good prospects for sustained growth. We can only tap this latent potential through adequate investment and proper governance structure. Today, our financing channel for sports is singular, the investment channel is narrow, and the source is unsustainable.
Without doubt, our sports industry has developed rapidly, with good prospects for sustained growth. We can only tap this latent potential through adequate investment and proper governance structure. Today, our financing channel for sports is singular, the investment channel is narrow, and the source is unsustainable.
The medals table of
the last few Olympics is a strong indicator that Sports is now a major tool for
demonstrating economic and social strength by countries. Sports must therefore
remain a major element of our vision for national rebirth. It must
constitute a driving force and indicator of our progress towards becoming one
of the leading 20 economies of the world by the year 2020.
If we must achieve
excellence and meet the objective requirements for the rapid development of our
sports industry, then we must broaden the financing base of the industry and
create the right conditions for private sector funding and investment in sport.
Adequate funding of
sports is very crucial to this endeavor but efficient and transparent
management of resources is key. This is why I have set up a committee under the
Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, to work out
a strategy for sustainable management of funding of the sports sector.
The Federal Government
will continue to do all that is necessary to improve our sporting fortunes. I
believe that the State Governments are also doing the same. The private sector
should now do more by investing in the sector. If you do business in Nigeria,
your number one brand identity is Nigeria.
It is my hope that at the end of this retreat, we would have come out with a clear practical and measurable action plan that will pave the way for greater sporting glory for our dear country.
It is my hope that at the end of this retreat, we would have come out with a clear practical and measurable action plan that will pave the way for greater sporting glory for our dear country.
Distinguished ladies
and gentlemen, it is now my honour to declare this retreat open.
I thank you.
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